EY Business Academy Review

I was placed in the service line of Assurance. Within this role I was working within the WAM industry (Wealth and Asset Management) and as such typical clients would be Asset managers such as global plc dealing with stocks and shares of their clients. My daily tasks involved verifying client performance figures to the audit produced by the EY company. Other roles included researching around our client to make sure that there were no findings that would ultimately influence the audit results or the time taken for completion. I was within a group of 15 other business academy work experience students and as such developed a strong bond between us for social aspects. Within the company are a lot of successful and experienced staff members, of which there were opportunities to network with and develop a broader address book. In regards to external interactions, we worked on the client site and as such had the opportunity to speak to our teams operating at the site, but also there was chance to meet and speak to external partners of the clients. At the end of the week we had to develop individual presentations of our experiences to a panel of members of staff involved in the student recruitment process of joining the company. Other projects included the day to day work that we worked on with the client and making sure that the audit results were accurate before publishing. Every day represents a new challenge in the firm but there is always chance to meet new people and work with them.

Over the course of the week i have learned a lot of information and ultimately increased my skills. Most notably, in networking given that this was quite an unfamiliar topic with all of us so it was good to begin to develop new skills of communication at informal events such as Lunch breaks. I have gained a skill in social media platforms such as Skype aswell as researching skills. Due to the presentation, there was concerns over confidence in ability, however all the staff were supportive in asking questions to aid the presentation.

I really enjoed the programme. I haev never been in an environment quite like this; full of supportive people in the team. it was an insightful and engaging experience. The work undertaken was rewarding once completed and this was enhanced by the core values of EY that make sure everyone is treated fairly with oppurtunities to grow.It acctually surpassed my expectations. I originally came into the programme feeling confident i would enjoy my experience however, i can now walk away feeling i haev developed a whole lot more than this. It would have been nice if there was more oppurtunity to mingle with other interns so maybe next year this could be arranged.

Although i am only 17 years old and most of the company have experienced workers, there was never a point where i felt intimidated and that i was worth less than any other staff member. As soon as i joined, i felt part of the team and felt valued highly once they ask for input and want to know you as a person and your experiences. My councellor has been so supportive and has arranged meetings to let me know how i have performed with personal feedback. Internally, there is no segregation of subordinates fro more senior members of staff. Everyone is treated equally and i can honestly state that this is true. On the other hand, it would have been nice if there was more group activities whereby your input could be appreciated

There was inductions for many things, including IT usage, next steps programme and health and safety. Of which, most of this was completed through the application of Skype. I was trained by my buddy and her expertise and she was more than happy to answer all my questions. In preperation for the self report and presentation, we were given sufficient warning, and time to prepare for this to develop them for the deadline. However, if i could change one aspect to this programme, i would have moved this academy towards the beginning of the year (obviously i appreciate there wouldnt be much involvement from buddies and councellors due to the "busy season") because at this season, during the summer, most clients are finishing the year and there were sometimes not much work we could carry on with in terms of accoutancy. I felt some of the induction programmes were a little bit too long and most information was not acctually required.

I recieved a lot of support from my councellors and training providers, who were happy to talk at any time. They would often go the extra mile to organise events such as a networking lunch or even general items such as asking how you are finding your time here. There is an obvious amount of care in this business. If something was not perfect, they would be happy to advise and help you until you fully understand what is to be done.

My mentor was with me all day, every day and i was able to see they day to day work that she had done and shadowed her tasks. Although she was part of a team that had an important deadline during my time here, she still helped me massively in going through information until i was absolutely clear on what i was to do. Before the presentation she booked a room for me to go through it with her to calm down my nerves, and often provided insightful work that would give me a good experience relating to working at EY.

Obviously as i was only working for a week, i got a decent wage by the end of it which covered my travel costs (Tube) and daily expenses such as lunch. Even without the pay, they did not fail to deliver an exceptional service to myself and even provided free food for networking events.

EY offer loads of career oppurtunities. A reason why i favourite them more than many other businesses is that they understand the university route is not for everyone and as such have provided oppurtunity to apply for an apprentiship. Doing this work experience also enables you to fasttrack yourself onto the business apprentiship if you have made the right impression (after a final interview). There are many oppurtinities to work abroad given Ernst and Young are a global business and so interests in travelling can be met. The location of the "churchill place" office is based in Canary Wharf and as such there are a lot of places to eat and go out. Information on activities such as clubs is unclear and maybe EY can provide more on the front of a sports team for example. Given everyone is close with eachother, there is always chance to go out for a coffee or out at night with members of the business.

Yes

EY not only develops your experience, it offers an insight into working life at a top level accountancy firm. You learn so many skills and find interests in business and the financial world

Make sure that you are 100% committed in every application process and submit details correctly and accurately. Given the time between applying and actually working here is very long, you should broaden your knowledge on the firm and what they do. Think about what service line would personally interest you most from the 4 stated. But i cannot stress how much you need to take seriously the application process as this is vital and every report you submit counts to improving your chances of making it onto the academy. Try to develop your skills in networking and presenting as this will be required throughout your time. I would have liked to been told about the assesments they give you (scenario based questions) as this was given to us without full warning.